Has the King inherited a poisoned chalice?
The expectations of the world for the next US President, Barack Obama are so high that it may prove
impossible to live up to them. What is it about this charismatic leader
that has inspired so much hope? Like many charts of great men, it's not
the chart that makes him great; it is how he uses the potential of the chart.
Barack Hussein Obama
Born 19:24 4th August 1961 Honolulu, HI, USA
Asc:18 Aquarius Sun:12 Leo Moon:3 Gemini |
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The Lion King
He exemplifies many of the best
characteristics of a Leo [his Sun Sign]. He clearly loves to play to an
audience and even swaggers with the gait of an east African Lion.
Obama instinctively knows how to use words that press the right
buttons.
Yet, his most outstanding qualities: a natural orator
and writer come from the combination of several planets in his natal
chart. Mercury in Leo lends the gift of dramatising speech with colourful
anecdotes, theatrical pauses and rhetorical flourishes. The sextile link
to the Moon in Gemini on the IC gives him a great way of tapping into the
innermost feelings of the people and the ability to articulate this collective
mood with eloquence.
Spontaneous speeches are carefully
crafted behind the scenes.
With Aquarius rising and his Sun
setting in Leo, he naturally rises to an opportunity to perform to his
listeners. Add his ruling planet, Uranus [conjunct Ascendant and square
MC] into this mix, and Obama makes his speeches appear effortless and
spontaneous. Yet, his key addresses are carefully crafted [Mars in Virgo
trine Saturn in 12] on his own over many late nights. Here, Saturn
in Capricorn opposite Mercury is a hard taskmaster demanding many rewrites,
severe self-editing and focus. While Jupiter wants to extend the oratory
into philosophical questions and wider issues, Saturn just wants him to keep it
brief and to the point. Saturn in Capricorn here [and Venus in Cancer]
explains how he values and uses historical precedent and the intentions of the
founding fathers in support of his argument and ideals.
A Natural
Strategist, Professional, Lawyer and Fund Raiser.
The Saturn
Jupiter conjunction is a great asset for a politician or any professional.
I read a comment on a website that this conjunction in Capricorn and Aquarius in
12th house accounted for his success in financing his campaign without public
funding through a multitude of anonymous benefactors ranging from the
established and wealthy to Mr and Mrs Average. It also gives foresight and
the ability to plan strategically. Add this to his Sun in 7th house and
you have two significators for Obama's first profession as a lawyer and his
second as a politician.
Why is Chicago is better than Washington
DC for Obama? see his Astro*Carto*Graphy Analysis
The inspiration of an idealised absent
father.
Obama's chart has the classic signature of an absent
father. This comes from the Sun square Neptune and Saturn in Capricorn in
12th. These configurations don't always result in a missing or deserting
father. Both my brother and sister also have Sun in Leo square Neptune and
I have Saturn in Scorpio in 12th. Our father was away at sea in the Navy
for much of our childhood. However, Barack's father left when he was 2
years old. They were reunited once, when Barack was ten, before his father
died eleven years later. What I find interesting is that Obama has been chosen to become
‘father of the world' as the ultimate decision maker on world issues?
Clearly, he has reflected deeply on the impact of the loss of his father in
his memoirs “Dreams from My Father; A Story of Race and
Inheritance.”
A partnership of extremes leading to deadlocks with
Hilary
With the Moon placed in Gemini at the IC, his mother
appears as a teacher and prominent influence who has shaped many of his
opinions. However, she also appears as a manifestation of Obama's
emotionally volatile side [Moon square Pluto]. As an adult this energy is
likely to be projected onto women who work with him in partnership.  In
particular, I envisage quite an extreme relationship with Secretary of State,
Hilary Clinton where there will be much vying for control over policy and media
coverage. As Hilary (26 Oct 1947 possibly 8pm Chicago) is predominantly
(48%*) water with low air and Barack is predominantly air (36%*) with low water,
it is likely that as he becomes more and more detached from her, she becomes
more openly expressive of her emotions. And as they are both predominantly
fixed, they could each get stuck in entrenched positions. Their common
ground is that they both value consistency and loyalty and will persist in
trying to make the partnership work when others see it is as doomed.
His mission to cut emissions
with the omission of transport
I see the Pluto Virgo generation
as the group who have and will take on the mission of reforming the quality of
life on the planet. Their concerns centre on the right to work, treatment
and survival of creatures and the pollution of the environment. With his
natal Pluto in Virgo square his Moon in Gemini, Obama will face a challenging
compromise between fulfilling this mission and an awareness of the great need
for transportation within the USA. Having lived in exotic locations such
as Indonesia and Hawaii and with a life now divided between Chicago and DC, he
appreciates the need for easy access to flights. [Moon in Gemini trine
Jupiter].
Obama a man of Change or
Continuity?
It is interesting that someone who ran a campaign
based on change should have such a fixed (54%) chart. While there is going
to be change over use of energy, war policy, health and homeland security,
[mutable Mars Virgo in 8 and Moon on IC] it will be surprising how many
projects, positions and institutions will remain exactly the same throughout his
term of office. For someone this fixed, continuity is valued and the
thinking tends to be “if it ain't broke, why change it”.
A
figurehead for the collective and yet never part of it.
Obama
is very Aquarian [Aquarius rising opposite Uranus] in the sense that he never
quite fits into any mould. He was seen as a black child with a white
family in Hawaii where blacks number only 2.5% of the population and Indonesia
where he was even more of a rarity. His East African origins are
ethnically and religiously different from most African Americans. But yet
even though he cannot be pigeon holed, millions of Americans and people from all
over the world feel some personal connection with him. [Sun square elevated
Neptune in 9th]
Radical approach to his career could lead to some
controversial allies.
This independent spirit will be most
evident in his career. Obama is not programmed to follow the herd [Uranus
square the MC]. Expect him to be very radical and to shock people if he
feels he must pursue an ‘inconvenient truth'. When transiting Uranus
crossed his ascendant and opposed Uranus (2000-2002), he stood out in his
opposition to the Iraq war. I anticipate that as early as 2009 and 2010,
he will form some unusual and controversial alliances with unexpected nations
and groups [T. Neptune opposite Uranus in 7th and square
MC].
Obama's Achilles heel: Manipulation and pressure from a
female partner.
One area of vulnerability for Obama is his
health, even though he is young and famously works out in the gym. He is
reputed to be trying to quit smoking, though it is hard to imagine maintaining
this with the pressures of office especially being a Moon in Gemini.
However his Achilles heel is the stressful aspects to Chiron in Pisces [Square
Moon opposite Uranus and Pluto] and the challenges of Mercury
[in his 6th house opposite Jupiter/Saturn]. His chart suggests his chest and ankles are in some way vulnerable. I should add that health risks that show up in a
chart can be eliminated or minimised by the individual consciously incorporating
the issues relating to the planets into their psychological make up. For
Obama, this is about integrating the diverse views of people even those whose
approach is more instinctive and emotional like Hilary Clinton. So I
believe his health will in a strange way reflect the ups and downs of his relationship with Hilary
and his wife Michelle.
Labours of Hercules
Obama inherits the Presidency with the USA at a major low point with massive debt, economic crisis, two arguably unwinnable wars, ecological neglect and stretched international relations. His success in this herculean task, requires him to turn his contradictions into strengths. By being both radical and respectful of history and continuity, he is capable of making change without alienating established forces or unneccessary destruction. Working with Hilary and other allies will be a great emotional challenge that might affect him physically. Yet, making her an asset and valuing her different approach, could be a source of great international power. What is clear from the evidence so far and from his chart is that he has no lack of talent as a communicator, planner and executor. This, at least, gives him a head start over his predecessor.
More on Astro*Carto*Graphy
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Main Astrology News Page. Information, stories, theories and facts.
Obama and Middle East. Obama's speech in Cairo [2009] tuned into the Aquarian planetary line-up. Religious Miracles can happen. Ingrained prejudices can soften. Societies can strive for a utopian vision. Obama's Moon MC line runs over Cairo enabling him to draw on and highlight his remarkable life story, his Muslim ancestry and his name to connect with the people.
Obama's 2009 European Trip 
New Age Festivals around the world coming up, London, Manchester, Los Angeles, Sydney, San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York, Melbourne. 
